20 years later ... Winningest football coach in Mercyhurst history to retire
As the winningest football coach in Mercyhurst history, with 93 victories over 18 seasons, head football coach Marty Schaetzle has chosen to retire after the 2021 season. “Football is the greatest team sport in the world and what makes it most special are the athletes,” Schaetzle said. “I have been blessed to teach and coach incredible young men. Some were football stars; all are life stars. I have learned so much from our players watching them grow from day one of freshman camp to walking across the stage at graduation.” Schaetzle also thanked the Mercyhurst family, from the administration to the student body, for their support. Likewise, he gave the nod to his coaches. “No coach stays 20 years at one place without fantastic coaches working with him,” said Schaetzle. “I was fortunate to hire great assistants, those who taught me much and will be with me forever.” Now in his 20th season at the helm of the Laker football program, Schaetzle is the longest tenured coach in Mercyhurst football history and has been the only coach since Mercyhurst joined the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. As a member of the PSAC, the Lakers are 72-62 and 44-44 in conference play. “Marty has been a valuable part of the Mercyhurst University family and a great partner for 20 years,” said Vice President for
Student Life Dr. Laura Zirkle. “I am thankful for his leadership and dedication for the last two decades. I’ve watched the Schaetzle family embrace what it means to be a Laker for years, and we will miss seeing them on campus.” Under Schaetzle, multiple Lakers have brought home major PSAC awards. Trevor Kennedy earned back-to-back Ofensive Player of the Year honors in 2010 and 2011 while Richie Sanders and Brandon Brown-Dukes earned Freshman of the Year honors in consecutive seasons, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Bryan Boyce earned the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2010 and Ian Wild claimed the Pete Nevins PSAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors during the 2010-11 academic year. Of the feld, many of his former student- athletes and assistant coaches have joined the coaching ranks, including Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers), Joe Lombardi (Los Angeles Chargers), Andrew Janocko (Minnesota Vikings), Joe Fever (Cleveland Browns), Kirk Campbell (Old Dominion University), and Fred Hale (University of Notre Dame). The Lakers have also had great success in the classroom during Schaetzle’s tenure. He has coached 11 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and 16 CoSIDA All-District selections. Mercyhurst has also claimed the Top GPA among PSAC squads three times.
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